Tropical fish keeping as a hobby can be a wonderful way to appreciate the fascinating creatures that live beneath the waves. But we want to see hobbyists ensure that their reef keeping practices are sustainable. And to do this, we recommend that hobbyists hold their retailers accountable for sustainable and responsible fish trading. MarineBio.org recommends that reef keepers insist that...

Christopher Taylor is not your average Australian environmental biology student--in fact, he's currently studying spiders, scorpions, and other arachnids for school. So why question him about his marine life pastimes? It seems Chris has a great knowledge of the distinct relation of crabs and crustaceans to arachnids, he writes a fun blog on all subjects, and at one time, he...

It's all for the birds.That's what International Bird Rescue Research Center director Jay Holcomb believes about the continued rescue efforts to care and conserve for wildlife caught in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He is leading IBRRC's current bird rescue efforts in the Gulf. These efforts must really be something! After all, he's won Oceana's Ocean Hero award for...

Bodil Bluhm, a Research Associate Professor in Biological Oceanography, Marine Biology, and Marine Invertebrates at the University of Alaska Fairbanks calls the school a hub of Arctic research. While Alaska is not for everyone, she warns, she loves taking part in these kinds of studies, so for her, it's home. Professor Bluhm's research focuses on energy flow patterns with polar...

We've got some great marine poetry in our midst, from one talented femme who combines aquaria and verse on her blog, The Digital Cuttlefish. This one's specially made for The Reef Tank, but make sure to check out the rest of her page. A is for Aquarium, a home for wayward fish; (A more pleasant alternative than ending up a...

It's no surprise for TRT members to hear that too much algae is bad news for corals. Likewise, you already know all too well those factors that can lead to too much algae in your tank, factors such as not enough grazers and too many nutrients. For decades coral reef scientists had known that too much algae is also not...